"It's the highest-rating show I've ever been involved in and it
hasn't even gone to air," he said. "It's an extraordinary audience
and it's hard to comprehend. Here, a good show in Sydney rates 1.5
million and that's a hit."

But Zuo Ling, one of its 13 Chinese actors, was blase. "In
China, because there are so many people ... and the television
station CCTV covers all the provinces, 900 million is just a small
number," she said.

The producers are negotiating with SBS to screen the story,
which is about a girl who moves to Sydney from China to study to
fulfil a pact with her Australian-based boyfriend.

They hope it will strike a chord with the many Chinese families
who strive to send their children to universities in Australia,
Canada and the US.

Sydney had the advantage of being less expensive than the US and
fine weather that was unlikely to interrupt shooting.

It won over other Australian cities because it has the highest
Chinese population, with 300,000 living in the metropolitan area,
despite some pressure from Tourism Australia.

George Yang, from the show's production company, Omnilab, said
the tourism body had tried to persuade him to film some scenes in
Melbourne and the Gold Coast, a move that would have infuriated the
NSW Tourism Minister, Sandra Nori.

"I would have gone berserk," Ms Nori said.

"I don't think they [Tourism Australia] understand Sydney's
global brand appeal overseas. It's almost as if they're refusing to
accept that in overseas markets, Sydney is the word that means the
most.

"It's mad not to use your best product, as it were, to make
people more aware of Australia."